Absorbent bandage.



No 810,116. PATENTED JAN. 16, 1906.

W. R. GREEN.

ABSORBENT BANDAGE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE10,1904.

W Y 1320672 for: 1 725mm? WZ'ZZQY'd UNITED' STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLARD R. GREEN, OF MUSOATINE, IOWA, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN ABSORBENT FIBER COMPANY, OF PORTLAND, MAINE, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

ABSORBENT BANDAGE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 16, 1906.

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLARD R. GREEN, a citizen of the United States, residing in Mus catine, in the county of Muscatine and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Absorbent Bandages, of which the following is a specification.

My present improvement relates to that class of articles commonly known as absorbent bandages, the object being to furnish an improved article of this kind adapted to be made at a low cost and which shall be adaptable for various kinds of uses.

In the drawings accompanying and form ing a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a perspective View representing a bandage made in accordance with my present improve ments. Fig. 2 is a crosssectional view, somewhat diagrammatic in character, taken about in line 2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken at line 3 3, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an enlarged plan view of a portion of Fig. 1 (at the right hand of section-line 2 2) for more fully illustrating certain features of the bandage. Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2, illus trative of certain details.

Similar characters of reference designate as 16 and 18, being relatively disconnected,

corresponding parts in all the figures.

In absorbent bandages designed for use in taking up relatively thick fluids or semi fluids there is a tendency for the thicker portions to sometimes separate and form a layer or mass on the surface portion of the article, and thus check the proper or free reception of the fluids by the bandage. To provide againstthis, I form the absorbent mass (indicated in a general way by 17) of suitable absorptive fibrous stock of the proper open mesh and texture and combine this with one or more surface layers, as 16 and 18, the absorbent mass being contained in a coversheet or supporting member 20. This coversheet may consist of some suitable fabric, preferably cotton or linen. The ends of the sheet may be folded to form suitable attaching portions for the bandage. In practice this fold may be made as indicated in Fig. 3, the edges 6 and 8 being folded one upon the other and a metallic or other suitable connecting device being inserted, as indicated at 7, or the folds may be stitched together, as may be preferred. The absorptive mass or body 17 may consist of vegetable fiber, such as cotton or linen; but I prefer to employ a strand-like mass composed of wood strands in the form of thin and narrow ribbon-like shavings closely resembling eXcelsior mingled and intermeshed in miscellaneous directions and compacted to form interior spaces of-varying sizes, of which the larger spaces will operate as distribution and conduction spaces or channels, while the smaller and narrow spaces so formed will constitute retention-spaces, having (relatively to the larger spaces) the character of capillary spaces. A further feature of this particular material, preferably wood in the form and condition set forth, relates to the manner in which said absorbent mass 17 when made of this kind of material operates in connection with the surface sheet or sheets, by which said mass is overlaid. In Fig. 5 a single surface sheet 18 is represented. In Figs. 2 and 4 said mass is shown covered by two such surface sheets, one superimposed upon the other.

In Fig. 4 I have illustrated in a somewhat diagrammatic way one of the features appertaining to the surface sheet or covering when this is made intwo layers superimposed one upon the other. These layers are shown formed of an open-mesh fabric, the two layers,

but bearing one upon the other and supported upon the absorbent mass beneath. On any movement of the mass due to bending or lateral compression the two fabrics naturally move one upon the other, and thus the meshes, by reason of the mobility of the fabric itself, come into register at some points, so as to form relatively large open spaces, as indicated at 15, extending downwardly through both fabrics. At other points the two fabrics come into a different relation, as indicated, for instance, at 15, thereby forming, in effect, a fine-mesh surface covering. This feature of the construction and mode of assembling the parts of the article results, therefore, in producing a surface of changeable character in which the effective mesh or size of opening will vary from time to time, with the further result that the two fabrics operate one relative to the other by a kind of abrasive and shearing action to clear or keep open the meshes and to agitate or disintegrate semifluid materials in such manner as to promote and accelerate the passing of the same through the surface covering into the absorbent mass below. As a means for further developing this action between the two surface sheets one of these sheets 16 is shown (see Fig. 2) with its edge 16 carried far down and around the side of the absorbent mass 17, while the other sheet is of lesser width. This not only effects a saving of material, but also tends to modify the movement of the respective surface sheets 16 and 18 not only with relation to the absorbent mass 17, but relatively to each other.

When only one of the open-mesh surface sheets is employed as, for instance, in Fig. 5and when the absorbent mass 17 is composed of a relatively resistant materialsuch, for instance, as fine woody strands, as hereinbefore mentioned-the meshes of the surface sheet operate in combination with the sur face portion of the absorbent mass of woody strands in a manner analogous to that already described as occurring between the upper and lower surface sheets when two of these are employed. There is also, as will be evident, a corresponding interaction between the two surface sheets (considered as one compound member of the complete article) with relation to the absorbent mass. When the strands in the upper portion of this mass are made of thin and narrow strips of wood and these strands are mingled and intermeshed together, the mass of material being at the same time suitably compacted to the proper density to form the desired capillary retention-spaces with relatively large conducting-spaces ramifying through the same, the edges of the strands operate to scrape and thereby clear away matter that might otherwise lodge and adhere to the under side of the surface sheet. This coaction of the wood strands with the open meshes of the surface sheet is in some cases of much importance, since it tends also to increase the receptivity of the absorbent mass, especially when it is required that this mass shall take up a relatively large amount of semifluid material in a brief space of time.

By using wood or woody strands such as described and these being mingled and intermeshed and then compacted together some portions of the surface strands come with the edges of the flat strand or shaving extending upwardly against the meshes of the surface sheet, while other portions of the woody strands lie more nearly flatwise upon each other, and thus form small and thin spaces having a certain capillary character or quality.

Having thus described my invention, I claim I 1. An absorbent bandage comprising a filling of strands, and a pair of surface layers of different, open-mesh fabric.

2. An absorbent bandage comprising a cover-sheet, a filling of eXcelsior therein, and a surface formed of a plurality of different, open-mesh fabrics.

3. An absorbent bandage comprising a cover-sheet, an absorbent filling mass therein, and a plurality of surface sheets, one of lesser width than the other.

Signed at Nos. 9 to 15 Murray street, New York, N. Y., this 25th day of May, 1904.

WILLARD R. GREEN.

Witnesses:

' FRED. J. DOLE,

JOHN O. SEIFERT. 

